CAN YOU TELL US HOW THE BAND GOT TOGETHER & SOME OF THE BANDS HISTORY?We got together in 1997 as friends jamming, with nothing specific in mind (stylistically). After a few dismal months of attempting a couple of terrible covers, we discovered our calling. Our first song in the style of TORMENTULA was "Corn Cob"...based on an enraging experience I had as a cleaning lady.

WHY WAS THE NAME TORMENTULA CHOSEN FOR THE BAND?I had written the lyrics & rhythm for "Caligula" in my head. I was sort of milling over them & started trying to rhyme words with "Caligula" for some unexplained reason & one of these words was "TORMENTULA".

WHO OR WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MAJOR INFLUENCES IN CREATING YOUR MUSIC?We don't strive for a sound made by other bands, but since we all listen to music I suppose it is unavoidable. I find music inspirational, but never consciously try to emulate it: EMPEROR, SLAYER, BATHORY, DESTRUCTION, SCORPIONS, ABBA, Nina Hagen, LED ZEPPLIN, SIGH, JUDAS PRIEST, MAYHEM, MOTORHEAD, CELTIC FROST, MERCYFUL FATE, IRON MAIDEN, VENOM, CAPTAINBEEFHEART & much more of course. It's hard to sum up a wide range of tastes.

WERE ANY OF YOU IN PREVIOUS BANDS BEFORE TORMENTULA? IF SO, WHICH BANDS?I was in a psychedelic band called PENTAPUS in the early 90's, then played drums in a band called SNAKES BETSY, where we only sang songs about Latvia in Latvian. That was a blast. The guitarist, Manerva Scurvy was in a two piece band called TRACTOR MAN & the bassist, Mortica Mangle was in DRIVE BY WENDY.

SINCE TORMENTULA IS A 3 PIECE ALL FEMALE BLACK/DEATH METAL BAND, DO YOU FIND IT EASIER OR HARDER TO BE ACCEPTED BY OTHER BANDS?(For the record, I don't think we're Black Metal.) We have an acceptance rate of about 40%. Our music isn't tight enough for purists of any genre, so they can't handle it. We can usually impress touring bands...but as far as in town, they just view it as the same old, same old.

HOW DID YOU GET HOOKED UP WITH SPEAKEASY RECORDS?The guy who started the label, Carl Johns, had monitored our progress for a year or so, then approached us with an offer to put out our first album. There were only two bands on the label at the time, us & his Country band called NOAH JOHN. I think he was very optimistic about having a record label, but after time, money ran out & reality hit, so he dropped the whole thing.

YOUR CD "SUBMIT YOUR UNWORTHY SOUL" WAS RELEASED IN 1999. HOW WELL DID THAT ALBUM DO FOR YOU?I think it did well for us in the sense of getting our name out there. It's pretty amazing how many people heard of it before actually hearing it. So, that's really cool. Also, I think that that recording was really raw & very exciting.

WHAT IS SOME OF THE LYRICAL CONTENT & HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE YOURSTYLE & SOUND?The songs that I write & sing are usually about insanity & fear. They have a certain degree of humor as well as emotional sincerity. Our style comes very naturally to us, so it's really a mesh of our personalities that are ever changing. Our sound is abrasive, dreadful & sometimes confusing.

THE "LURE OF THE GRIME" 7" IS YOUR LATEST RELEASE WHICH CAME OUT IN 2000. HOW WELL WAS THAT RECEIVED & IS THERE A NEW ALBUM IN THE WORKS?People liked it. The red vinyl is awesome & you have the option to play it on 45 rpm, which is super fun. We recorded 7 songs a couple of months ago & are in the process of mixing them. It's the best thing we've done thus far.

WHO POSED FOR THE NICE BUTT SHOT ON THE COVER OF THE 7"?I did, but that's not really what my butt looks like. It's an illusion. Those pants are exactly half my size, so it's more like a jello mold.

WHERE ARE SOME OF THE MORE MEMORABLE PLACES YOU'VE PLAYED & WITH WHO?We loved playing at O'Cayz Corral (R.I.P.) here in Madison. We played with TODAY'S THE DAY, which was a great opportunity. We played with the aging CRUCIFUCKS & that was one of the worst shows ever. We played with CAVITY a long time ago. Most recently we played with CUTTHROATS 9, which was great fun. We also played with HARLOW, the band from BANDS ON THE RUN. They had roadies, an RV, a manager, very deluxe treatment, but we had the Metal edge that comes with doing all of that shit yourself. They were nice, but wimpy. We also played with ANAL CUNT in Milwaukee. That was awesome.

I'M SURE MOST OF YOUR SHOWS ARE PRETTY WILD, BUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CRAZIER THINGS YOU'VE SEEN AT ONE OF YOUR SHOWS, FROM A BAND MEMBER OR A FAN?Since I sing & drum, I can't really look at the audience much, because the microphone is on the side, but once there was a cat fight involving 3 women. hair pulling, scratching...stereotypical.

WHAT DO THE MEMBERS OF TORMENTULA DO WHEN NOT DOING ANY WORK FOR THE BAND?I work at a place that makes really cool 3D shit in the prepress department. Manerva Scurvy works at a health food grocery store & Morticia Mangle is a bartender at 2 different places as well as working on owning her own Rock club. She used to own O'Cayz Corral, which burned down last year on New Years.

ARE YOU INTO ANY OTHER STYLES OF MUSIC BESIDES WHAT YOU PLAY, WHO ARE SOME OF THE BANDS YOU ARE CURRENTLY INTO?I play & compose creepy songs on the accordion. That's very far from playing drums & screaming. As far as other styles...I like everything except for Country. Right now I'm finding great joy listening to MANOWAR's "TRIUMPH OF STEEL" & KING DIAMOND's first band BLACK ROSE.

WHAT'S THE BEST & WORST THING ABOUT BEING A FEMALE MUSICIAN?The worst thing is that people assume that we get attention based on gender versus musical expression. That is also the best thing, because it pushes us harder.

IF TORMENTULA WAS A HORROR MOVIE, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT? WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED & WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE STAR IN IT?It would be a "dead-girl-seeking-vengence" movie. TORMENTULA could be the name of some kick ass guitarist/singer that got killed in a Rock club by a rival. She comes back from the dead to point out her murderer & fuck shit up. The role of TORMENTULA would be played by Lil' Kim. She's probably the scariest women in show business today.

IF YOU WEREN'T IN TORMENTULA, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING NOW?I'd be in a different band or writing songs on a four track. Maybe making art or writing. Probably living in a different town.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE & WHAT YOU WERE DOING WHEN YOU FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK ON 9-11-01 IN NEW YORK? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS TRAGEDY?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TORMENTULA SONG & WHY?We never play a song exactly the same twice, so it depends on our mood, how much we've been practicing, etc., but I guess my favorite is "Hell's Unruliest", which was recorded for the new album.

I'VE NEVER SEEN TORMENTULA LIVE BEFORE, BUT FROM ALL THE PHOTOS I'VE SEEN, IT LOOKS LIKE A VERY GOOD TIME. PLEASE DESCRIBE, IF POSSIBLE, WHAT A TORMENTULA SHOW IS LIKE?

I was at work when I first heard about it. It was absolutely terrifying on so many levels. I've neverseen anything so frightening & sad. Unfortunately the media's treatment of the tragedy cheapened it. Tapped it dry of all genuine emotion & tried to make money off of it, purposefully instilling fearinto the public. The networks tried to convince American viewers that the most important thing to doat the time is stayed glued to their TV sets, keep their mouths shut about everything "unsupportive".That was irresponsible & despicable. I don't like the way the Bush administration passed a lot ofshady laws while our attention was iverted.

WHAT CAN WE SEE NEXT FROM TORMENTULA?Our next release will be out sometime in the future, (could that be any more vague?) We have to find a record label or save enough money to put it out ourselves.

I'M ALL OUT OF QUESTIONS, THANX A LOT FOR DOING THIS INTERVIEW. ANY WORDS OF WISDOM, COMMENTS OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?Nope!!!